ABC27 WHTM Pa. lawmaker's bill would freeze House salaries

Pa. lawmaker's bill would freeze House salaries

A Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced legislation to suspend a December cost-of-living adjustment for representatives in the state House.

Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford) said many teachers and state workers have agreed to one-year pay freezes because of state budget problems, so state representatives should do the same thing.

"Social Security recipients went for several years without a COLA and the increase they are going to get next year will be offset by the higher Medicare payments retirees have to pay," Roae said in a statement. "Many local companies could not afford to give raises to their employees this year.  If all of these people have had their incomes frozen, I believe state representatives should also have their incomes frozen."

State legislators, judges and the governor will all receive a COLA on Dec. 1 due to a 1995 law that mandates the automatic yearly adjustment.

Roae's House Bill 1952 would suspend the COLA only to state representatives' this year.

He said the limit may give his legislation a better chance of passing, since other proposals to permanently repeal COLAs for all three branches of state government have received very little support in the General Assembly.

"It's hard to get people to vote against their own self interest," he said. "The thought is that if we limit the scope of the bill to the House, the other two parties necessary to enact a law – the Senate and the governor – should not object since it doesn't affect them."